Filter and Saliva shake the Elm

The Million Dollar Elm Event Center was rocking last Thursday night when the Under the Skin of Angels Tour made it’s way through T-town. Four bands total were on the bill for the evening, and at the low price of twenty dollars per ticket, those in attendance certainly got their moneys worth. Chicago’s Heart-Set Self Destruct and Austin’s Anew Revolution warmed up the crowd as the evening got underway.

The energy level in the room bumped up a couple of notches when co-headliner Filter took the stage. The group started the night with the hard-hitting “No Love” from their 2010 album “The Trouble with Angels.”  Following an interesting cover of ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin,” they continued with “The Take,” a song that was co-written by front-man Richard Patrick and current Rob Zombie guitarist John 5.

In true rock-n-roll fashion, Patrick addressed the crowd before the next song. “Who likes drugs,” asked Patrick. “I love drugs, but can’t take them anymore,” he said before adding “I haven’t taken a drug in eight years.” From their they took off into “Drug Boy,” followed by “Can’t You Trip Like I Do,” as Patrick snatched camera phones from the audience and shot pictures and video of the band and crowd as he sang.

The band then transitioned into the slower “Take a Picture” to the crowd’s approval. They then followed up with “Welcome to the Fold” before finishing off with their biggest hit “Hey Man Nice Shot.”

Filter has been through several lineup changes throughout their 18-year history, but on Thursday night it was clear that they were back in business. If you haven’t seen them live, you owe it to yourself to do so.

Filter Photo Gallery

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

Memphis-based Saliva closed out the night with an extremely high-energy set that had the crowd moving throughout the night. Their extended set included “Black Sheep,” “Survival of the Sickest,” “Superstar,” and several other heavy licks.

Lead singer Josey Scott kept the crowd involved throughout the show, several times telling them to get their hands in the air and during instrumentals telling them to say “hell yeah!”

Highlights of the set included the catchy “Doperide,” a cover of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” and “Badass,” along with widely popular hits “Ladies and Gentlemen,” “Always,” “Click Click Boom,” and “Your Disease.”

The only downside of the night was what seemed to be a smaller turnout than one would expect for two bands as popular as Filter and Saliva. These two bands have been around the block, but make no mistake - they continue to knock out heavy, hard-hitting rock-n-roll and they know how to work a stage. Overall, it was an excellent show and a steal at the $20 price of admission.